Understanding the Landscape of Public Attitudes About Climate Change

There is a demonstrated need among decision makers for locally relevant information about climate change. In response to this need, climate scientists have developed a variety of methods of to “downscale” climate model projections from global models to the regional and local scale. However, comparable local data representing the human dimensions of climate change, such as public perceptions and beliefs, has been less fully developed. is presentation describes a new tool for mapping variations in state and local climate and energy opinions within the U.S. Effectively responding to climate change will likely require the enactment of national, state, and local mitigation and adaptation policies as well as changes in individual behavior. is tool provides an important new source of locally relevant information for policymakers, educators, managers, and scientists to more effectively address these challenges